PURE PLANT POWER
GROUNDED IN TRADITION
Family–owned
Six generations of herbal medicine knowledge
Our story as an Australian owned family business is unique. With more than a century’s worth of experience, across six generations, the art of harnessing pure plant power is in our nature.
We’re the oldest, 100% Australian owned and family-run business manufacturing full spectrum liquid herbal medicine and we’re proud of our history. Today, we combine time-honoured wisdom with science and innovation, while staying true to our family values.
Our brand
Here at the Herbal Extract Company, our purpose is to cultivate LOVE for the healing power of nature. Our wildest ambition is to create a world where everyone appreciates, understands, and celebrates the wisdom of nature.
With our brand refresh, we wanted to develop an identity that reflected our values, our history and our passion for pure plant power. Our new logo expands on the letterform of an ‘e’ cropping it to reveal an ‘h’ to symbolise the precision and art of our extraction process. We’ve also chosen a palette that is simple to reflect nature itself.
The Herbal Extract Company - powerful herbal healing grounded in tradition
Managing Director
Annette Lambert
annette.lambert@herbalextracts.com.au
As a strategic thinker, with the ability to take a vision through to reality, Annette was chosen to lead the Herbal Extract Company team when her father, Lyndsay Shume, decided to slow down and take a step back from the day to day running of the business. This transition means Annette is the fifth generation to continue the Shume family tradition. Annette found herself at the Herbal Extract Company after a decade in the world of finance, insurance and sales training. In 1991 she started helping out with customer service and, over time, took on more and more responsibilities, moving into high level production planning, sourcing and finance, before taking the helm.
Annette’s passion for herbal medicine has a firm grounding, solidified by the many childhood memories she has of her grandfather, Archie Shume, at his farm in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Archie achieved remarkable results in his patients using herbs he had wildcrafted himself. He passed this knowledge onto his son Lyndsay. This background has given Annette speciality expertise, skill and a culture in the business of manufacturing liquid herbs. Annette believes that natural medicine is the best medicine and that taking care of oneself is paramount to good health.
Customer Service Manager
Lyndall Lang
lyndall.lang@herbalextracts.com.au
Lyndall, Annette’s sister, joined the Herbal Extract Company team in 1995 when more hands were needed to meet the demand for high quality liquid herbal extracts. Lyndall has worked in all areas of the business, changing responsibilities with the ever-changing needs, providing her with clarity on the fundamental aspects of the company.
As Customer Service Manager she is in charge of our customer service team, as well as being heavily involved in all things finance. Lyndall’s supportive, caring and pragmatic nature makes her the best person to be responsible for the smooth, day to day running of the business and for delivering a high-quality customer service experience.
Lyndall is passionate about the power of herbal medicine having been surrounded by herbs her whole life and learning the process of producing herbs at her father Lyndsay’s side,. That love is strengthened by seeing it lovingly transformed into the most beautiful vibrant liquids. Lyndall collaborates with Lyndsay on the important job of documenting his herbal formulas for posterity.
COMPANY FOUNDER
Lyndsay Shume
Lyndsay’s deep love for herbal medicine started at a very early age. He learnt his craft from his father Archie and later formally trained in herbal medicine with the English college, the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH). The Herbal Extract Company was born out of his own need for quality herbals to treat his own patients. Lyndsay has never been afraid of hard work and has had many varied occupations, including being the milkman and a fitter and turner, but his true love has always been herbal medicine. Lyndsay, and his wife Helen, worked tirelessly to create something that gave herbalists what they needed – high quality medicines to treat their patients.
Lyndsay has made a huge contribution to the herbal medicine industry over many years including serving on the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA) board as secretary, treasurer, and examiner. He was honoured by receiving a life membership, and made a fellow of the NHAA, making him an iconic Australian herbalist. Today Lyndsay and Helen are enjoying their retirement, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
Lyndsay takes a keen interest in everything that happens at the Herbal Extract Company and can often be seen in the office sharing his knowledge with the team. The Herbal Extract Company has grown exponentially since Lyndsay started it almost 40 years ago. It has developed and prospered from a small player to a major competitor while staying true to the traditional and family values. Lyndsay’s love and passion for herbal medicine has been a major contributor to the growth of not only the Herbal Extract Company, but the herbal medicine industry in Australia, and his contribution remains an enduring legacy. He is proud of what the Herbal Extract Company has grown to be and excited for what the future holds for herbal medicine and our industry.
Special Projects Manager
Darryl Lambert
darryl.lambert@herbalextracts.com.au
Darryl, Annette’s husband, brings a cool, calm and collected quality to the Herbal Extract Company. As the Special Projects Manager, with a focus on contract business, Darryl is never rushed giving everything and everyone the time they deserve. This measured and down-to-earth manner, coupled with his attention to detail, are valuable attributes for the company.
After many years in both the public and private health sectors Darryl joined the Herbal Extract Company team in 2004, leaving his position as National Chief Sonographer with one of Australia’s largest medical imaging providers. He started out in production with a determination to learn every facet of manufacturing, operations and Quality Assurance. Over the years Darryl has held the positions of Operations Manager and Quality Assurance Manager. He has developed a strong understanding of the regulations and compliance requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA - part of the Australian Government’s Department of Health). He uses this knowledge in his commitment to bring the highest quality products to market, whether for the Herbal Extract Company or one of our many contract manufacturing clients.
Darryl’s strong connection with people enables him to share his understanding of the therapeutic power of plants. If you have ever been lucky enough to take a manufacturing tour of our Minto facility you would know that Darryl excels at sharing his wealth of knowledge and passion.
Operations Manager
Matt Lambert
matt.lambert@herbalextracts.com.au
Matt, grandson, is the go-to man at the Herbal Extract Company if you need anything done. He is the person who, on a daily basis, has input into every area of the business. As the Operations Manager Matt ensures that the manufacturing team are on schedule, the bottling team is running smoothly and the paddock has been mown. He organises and carries out maintenance, oversees engineering projects and even stops as he is passing by to help someone with their computer.
Matt was born into the Herbal Extract Company and from just a few weeks old could be found in the office with Annette and his grandparents Lyndsay and Helen. He has a strong natural talent for mechanical and electrical work and came to us after working in the audio-visual industry. Starting out as part of our production team Matt then stepped into the role of Production Team Leader and his ability to lead his team left no doubt that he would be the perfect Operations Manager.
Matt has a keen interest in improving our extraction processes and tweaking individual product procedures to produce the very best liquid extracts. He will never take shortcuts, or settle for less than anything but the best, which is of paramount importance because the results of our labours are therapeutic. As an integral part of the team Matt is indispensable.
Practitioner Consultant
Amanda Goncalves
Western Australia
amanda.goncalves@herbalextracts.com.au
Amanda is a naturopath and herbalist who has worked in the natural healthcare sector for more than 15 years. In 2009 she graduated from the Australian Institute of Holistic Medicine with an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy and Advanced Diploma of Western Herbal Medicine. On graduation, she was awarded the Excellence in Herbal Medicine Award from the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia. Amanda has worked as a clinical naturopath and as a sales representative for practitioner brands with a West Australian distributor of natural health products. She combines her passion for herbal medicine with her family farm focused on growing herbs, vegetables and fruit trees.
Practitioner Consultant
Carmen Doyle
Victoria and Tasmania
carmen.doyle@herbalextracts.com.au
Carmen is a holistic and functional herbal medicine practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in clinical care.
Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Health Science, Bachelor of Behavioural Science, Post graduate Homeopathy, Diploma of Transpersonal Counselling and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She has also completed a four-year apprenticeship in Shamanic Practice (herbal medicine and healing practices).
Carmen’s passion is to work with the interconnectedness of human behaviour, biology, metabolism, the environment, and plant medicines to optimise digestive and metabolic health, mitochondrial function, cognitive performance, emotional health and overall optimal well-being. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of herbal medicine drawing from traditional practices, emerging research and clinical experience. Carmen includes nature therapy into her personal practice by regularly spending time in gardens and bushland, and also growing and wildcrafting medicinal herbs.
Practitioner Consultant
Geoff Beaty
SE Queensland, Northern NSW and SA
geoff.beaty@herbalextracts.com.au
Geoff graduated almost 40 years ago as a herbalist and naturopath following training with an esteemed third-generation herbalist in Western Australia. He is also a practitioner of OrthoDynamics (a trigger-point system of bodywork), Total Body Modification (a kinesiology system to correct organ function and body systems) and Reiki (a Japanese form of energy healing). Geoff has a Diploma of Naturopathy and is a member of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia.
As a clinical practitioner, Geoff has a special interest in cancer and microcirculation, especially endothelial dysfunction which is damage to the circulatory system caused by the long-term effects of the Western diet and lifestyle. In his practice, Geoff has witnessed herbal medicine’s capacity to make significant improvements to this critical health issue.
Practitioner Consultant
Nicola Kelly
Sydney North, Northern NSW and ACT
nicola.kelly@herbalextracts.com.au
Nicola is a clinical herbalist and iridologist who has been working in the natural health field since 2005. She has gained extensive experience, across an array of areas, including consulting in clinical practice, working in clinic and dispensary management, as a laboratory technician and in health retail. Nicola qualified in 2010 receiving an Advanced Diploma of Western Herbal Medicine from the Australian College of Natural Medicine (Endeavour). She also completed a herbal apprenticeship in the USA where she learnt to wildcraft herbs and prepare herbal medicines from scratch. It was here that Nicola learnt from the plants themselves and witnessed them growing throughout the seasons. Originally from England, Nicola has herbalists in her ancestry so healing with plants is in her DNA.
Practitioner Consultant
Lara Ryan
Sydney South and Southern NSW
lara.ryan@herbalextracts.com.au
Lara has been deep in the magic and aroma of herbal medicine since starting a clinic apprenticeship in 1992, which is when she first met the herbal medicines of the Herbal Extract Company and has thought of them as friends and allies ever since. In 1997 Lara completed her Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy followed by a Bachelor of Health Science in Complementary Medicine. She went on to graduate with a Masters in International Public Health. In private practice Lara works as a herbalist and naturopath providing support to patients recovering from complex, chronic illnesses and adrenal depletion. Lara feels deeply about our need to embody self-compassion in healing. Lara teaches herbal therapeutics and clinic studies to final year students at Nature Care College and is a sessional lecturer at the Nan Tien Institute. She writes regularly about her experiences with motherhood, chronic illness, grief, loss, hope and other matters of the heart that involve building resilience to find our way back to joy.
Practitioner Consultant
Ingrid Issa
Queensland and NT
ingrid.issa@herbalextracts.com.au
Ingrid is a holistic practitioner, healer and coach with more than 15 years’ experience in clinical care. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Health Science, Diploma of Herbal Medicine, Post Graduate Diploma of Education and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She has also completed Craniosacral Therapy training in Bali, Indonesia and practiced there for over 12 months. As well as her passion for natural medicine, Ingrid works with women utilising hormone balancing treatments, trauma coaching and energy healing. In her leisure time Ingrid enjoys nature walks, yoga, her daily meditation practice and dancing.
Practitioner Consultant
Robyn Cooper
Queensland and NT
robyn.cooper@herbalextracts.com.au
Robyn is a passionate naturopath with a love for all things herbal medicine. For almost 20 years she has been a naturopath in clinical practice, coupled with involvement in product development and education, research and technical support within the Queensland naturopathic industry. Robyn graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) and for a number of years lived in Canada and the USA where she expanded her knowledge of North American herbs. There she studied under respected lecturers and gained practical experience with many herbs by cultivating, harvesting and manufacturing them, as well as learning to apply this experience within clinical practice. Robyn believes meeting with other practitioners, sharing stories and developing collaborative relationships contributes to the growth and success of the herbal medicine community.
Please note Robyn will be on maternity leave from 1st September 2023 for 12 months.